Static electric generator



April 17, 1956 w. A. RHODES 2,742,581

STATIC ELECTRIC GENERATOR Filed May 27, 1953 INVENTOR.

VJAW WWW United States Patent STATIC ELECTRIC GENERATOR William A.Rhodes, Phoenix, Ariz.

Application May 27, 1953, Serial No. 357,852

3 Claims. (Cl. 310-5) This invention relates to a static electricgenerator, wherein jets of a fluid which is a conducting medium such aswater, or mercury, is used to induce great voltage differences betweentwo metal cylinders. The objects of the invention are to provide asimple source of high voltage potential to be used for such things aseducational purposes, toys, flashing gaseous lamps, dust precipitatorsand other applications where high voltages at small currents arerequired.

Figure l is a side elevational view of apparatus embodying one form ofmy static electric generator; and Figure 2 is a plan view thereof withthe insulators sectioned oil and the upper portion of the apparatusremoved. Similar numerals denote similar parts in both views.

The voltage differential is generated by the following method: In Figure1, an electrical conductive fluid is fed in at 10, under pressure whereit is distributed in a coupling 11, to the nozzles 12 and 13. The jetsof fluid issue from the said nozzles which are far enough back from theentrances of the cylinders 14 and 15 so that the streams will be brokenup into drops before they leave said first cylinders. Said drops arethereby isolated from each other by air spacing before they leave thecylinders traveling in opposite directions, so as to avoid any chance ofthem pro-discharging the voltages, induced upon them by the nearestcylinders back to these jet orifices through the solid column of fluidthat exists near the nozzle tips.

A small electrical charge or voltage unbalance supplied to one of themetal cylinders induces a charge of the opposite polarity in the dropsof the jet of fluid passing through it. This initial charge may alreadybe present or may be induced by the act of merely touching one of thecylinders with the finger, or by rubbing a glass rod with a piece of furand touching the rod to one of the cylinders.

The cylinders 14 and 15 are insulated from each other and the fluid lineby electrical insulators 16 and 17, which in turn are mounted on a base18 which may be of metal or wood. The fluid line may be mounted on thesame base 18 with clamps 19 and 20.

As an example, if cylinder 14 is charged slightly positive, then thefluid drops from jet 12 which in no way touches cylinder 14, will becharged negative by their passage through said cylinder. The jet nozzle12 is adjusted so as to cause these negatively charged drops to contactcylinder wherein they give up most of their charge to said cylinder andthen drip away from the end of same as waste. The same thing happens tothe fluid coming from jet 13, but it receives a positive potentialcharge by passing through cylinder 15 and gives it up to cylinder 14,charging same positive.

As the cylinders become more highly charged they in turn induce a higheropposite polarity static charge on the fluid passing through themthereby quickly building the cylinders up to very high voltages of theopposite polarities which will discharge as a spark across the gap 21 ormay be fed off to other units designed to utilize static 'iceelectricity in their operation which are not shown herein, being commonknowledge to those familiar with the art.

Figure 2 shows only cylinders 14 and 15 without mounting insulators, andjets 12 and 13 looking down vertically upon them to show the relativepositions that the streams of fluid should take in order to avoid anycontact with each other as they pass in opposite directions through thecylinders. I wish to be limited only by the following claims.

I claim:

1. Two metallic cylinders approximately axially aligned but physicallyseparated and electrically insulated each from the other, two pressurejet fluid orifices arranged so that their nozzle openings face eachother through the interiors of the cylinders, said cylinders reposingbetween the jet orifices but not in physical contact with them or theirfeed pressure lines, so that when one cylinder is given a potentialvoltage unbalanced in relation to the other by electrically connectingit momentarily to a small static voltage source, and fluid being forcedthrough the jet orifice nearest this cylinder, said fluid passes throughthe interior of the cylinder without touching it, receiving an inducedvoltage potential of the opposite polarity of said cylinder, whereuponsaid fluid drops are directed at an angle that causes them to contactthe wall of the cylinder farthest from their issuing jet orifice,transferring most of their induced voltage potential to said cylinderand then trickle away as waste, whereupon the cylinder receiving thistransferred voltage acts on the fluid issuing from the other jet orificenearest to it in a similar manner and induces the opposite voltagepotential on its fluid which passes in the opposite direction throughbut not contacting this nearest cylinder, or the other onrushing jetstream, but contacting the farthest cylinder thereby charging it to ahigher voltage than it was originally, said action continuing on bothcylinders until they have built up static voltage pressures of theopposite polarity to the limit of their insulation whereupon said staticpotential may be utilized therefrom.

2. Two electrical insulators upon which is mounted two metalliccylinders aligned along a common axis and spaced from each other, meanscomprising jet orifices at the non-adjacent ends of said cylinders sothat one cylinder becomes positively and the other negatively chargedwhen drops of an electrically conductive fluid which is sprayed in astream of small divergence through the interiors of the cylinders fromopposite directions by said jet orifices facing each other andbracketing said cylinders so that the fluid enters and passes throughthe cylinders nearest to the issuing jet orifices without touching thesenearest cylinders and without the two jets of fluid colliding with eachother in their travel in opposite directions, but each respective jet offluid impinging upon the wall of the cylinder farthest from its issuingorifice, whereupon if either cylinder is slightly higher or lower instatic voltage potential with respect to the other, then the drops offluid issuing from either jet orifice will upon passing through theinterior of the nearest cylinder without contacting same, have a voltageimpressed upon them by the said nearest cylinder, giving up this chargeto the second cylinder farthest from said jet orifice by physicalcontact thereon, whereby both cylinders quickly store up large voltagepotential charges of the opposite polarity.

3. A static electric generator composed of a base, two electricalinsulators extending from said base, metallic cylinders supported oneach of the insulators and disposed so as to be axially aligned andspaced apart, a spark gap formed between said cylinders by electricalconductors extended toward each other from adjacent end portions of saidcylinders, tubing, conducting an electrically conductive fluid, attachedto said base provided with a coupling joined to branch tubes extendingin opposite 0 directions from. said coupling and bent back toward eachother and provided with nozzles at their ends directing streams of saidconductive fluid through said cylinders from their opposite ends inspaced relation; and in opposite directions; the stream from eachrespective nozzleflowing through the central portion of the cylinderadjacent to it without contact therewith and: flowing through andcontacting the further cylinder.

4;- References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,078,760 Hansell Apr. 27, 1937 OTHER REFERENCES Electrical InfluenceMachines by Gray; Whitaker & C0., 2 White Hart St., London, 1890, pp.171-177.

